Our head instructor, Rick Danruther, is one of only a handful of Certified Master PGA Professionals in the United States and has been teaching in the Inland Empire since 1989, a PGA of America Quarter Century Club member, and Assistant Golf Coach at Rancho High School. “I try to keep the instruction simple and effective,” says Rick Danruther. “I take the golfers's abilities and current swing and sand and polish it a little here and there to help them steadily improve. I don't believe in tearing down and re-building a player's swing which rarely works". "For every student I prescribe 2-4 drills that are customized for him or her. The drills are easy and can be done at home away from the course. If he/she continues doing his drills when he practices and at home, I guarantee that they will see some steady and gradual improvement and a much happier golf game!"

Click here to a video of one of Rick's prize students, (his son), who recently has won several juior golf tournaments. Click here to view another Prize student, Joey S. who is 12 years old and is currently ranked #87 in the world by US Kids Golf.

Joey Sotelo 10 years old pictured on right

Individual lessons are $300 for 5 sessions for one student. Bring a friend and take advantage of our 'Partners Lesson Plan"; for only $400 you & your friend receive five 45 minute instructional sessions together at the same time which helps make the learning enjoyable and builds camaraderie. Email Rick Danruther to purchase a package or for more information. Give your favorite golfer a gift which will last a lifetime, help improve his golf game forever!

"My wife and I enrolled in Rick's Partners Lesson Plan and WOW, my wife can now play golf reasonably well and Rick cured my shank that has been bothering me for years, but most importantly now my wife and I have an activity that we both love that we can do together! - Sonia & Chris, Rancho Cucamonga

Do any of the following plague your golf game?

Slicing?

Does your ball start left and then slice back to the fairway or go way right? Does your divot always point to the left and sometimes do you pull your shots? Does your ball go high and leaks off to the rigth with little power? If so you probably have the clubface too "open" during your swing and no matter what you do you can never quite square it up at the ball so you have to "come over the top" on your downswing and pull the ball left so it can cut back to your target. If this sounds like you don't worry, most golfers who have played for awhile get into this habit! The good news is it is very simple to adjust your clubface position and not only eliminate your slice but actually draw the ball! Don't believe me? Then come and take one lesson with me and I will guarantee I can eliminate or reduce most of your slice in one lesson!

"Rick Danruther has been my golf instructor for the past few months, and in a short time he has been able to do what no other has..., and that's increase my length, & accuracy, especially my length. Rick keeps it simple, and emphasizes the basics he suggested an equipment change with my driver, and by incorporating I was able to increase my average driving distance by 20 yards, which is huge. I'm now able to reach long par 4's in regulation! If you're looking for the best instructor in the Inland Empire I highly recommend Rick Danruther." - Al W, Rancho Cucamonga

Click here to view a video of one of Rick's prize students, (his 12 year old son Austin), who recently broke 40 for 9 holes and has won several local junior golf tournaments

Scoring & Shortgame?

Are you a good player but seem "stuck" shooting around the same scores most of the time without any real improvement? Most players focus too much on their swing and not their short game and scoring. I bet there is a shot around the green that is bothering you and costing you several shots a round like sand play, 20-30 yard pitch, or an "in-between" wedge shot. There is a certain position that all great pitchers/chippers have that I will teach you, and you can practice it at home! Every great player keeps his/her hands ahead of the clubface during and after impact, that is the only way to gain consistency in how solid you chip/pitch the ball and the only way to really know how far your pitch/chip shot will go. I will show you how to "FEEL" this correct position and how to get there. Click Here for more information.

Click here to request more information on lessons at Sierra Lakes or call us today at (909) 350-2500.

Wedge game?

Is there a certain wedge distance like 60 yards that you are struggling with? If so I bet there is a distance that you really like and have confidence in. I will teach you a wedge game system similar to Short Game guru Dave Pelz that will help you learn 3 different distances that you will hit each of your wedges EXACTLY every time. No more guesswork or feel. Imagine playing a golf course that has no yardage markers or monuments?? Then how in the world can you play your best if you don't know how far you hit your in between wedge shots? For instance these are the distances I hit my Lob wedge exactly: Full swing = 80 yards, 3/4 swing 70 yards, and 1/2 swing 60 yards (and if I choke up I hit the 1/2 swing exactly 52 yards). Now you just pace of the yardage you want to hit your wedge shot, (or I use a Bushnell range finder), and pick the appropriate club and the length of swing and presto, you will hit the ball pin high and save some serious strokes off your game!

Can't break par or can't break 80?

Are you ever feel like you are "stuck" shooting the same scores or can't break a certain score like 90, 80 or par? Do you play well at times during your round and then fall apart on 2-3 holes? Are you the guy after your round who says "take away the triple on #10 and the double on #5 and I would have broken 80 for the first time?" If you watch the pros play on TV or a really good player you might not notice it but they rarely ever make more than bogey. They have figured out that the "secret" to playing your best golf is "improving your bad shots so that they aren't that bad". What I try to do with each player is improve their mis hits, not improve their best hits! If you are blocking or pulling 2-3 tee shots every round into trouble, (or worse out of bounds), then we need to find out why your swing produces that shot from time to time and show you how to eliminate it and prescribe drills that will prevent it from seeping back into your game.

Why do I know so much about all of these problems listed above? Because I used to suffer from all of them at some point in my career and instead of having an instructor who could easily help me solve them, I had to painstakenly figure them out for myself which took a lot of sweat and time! Basically the golf swing has three key points and is an END RESULT of these three points which are: Setup, takeaway, and backswing at hip high. If those three positions are sound then your swing will easily follow and result in a consistant/repeatable action, conversely if one or a combination are "off" then the rest of your swing will have to fight to get back into the correct position before impact which is difficult to repeat. Most of my instruction and drills are geared to getting you into these three key positions as easily and repeatable as possible, if we can do that your natural swing will come out as a result! I rarely try and adjust a persons actual swing, why?, because your swing is a direct result of your setup and takeaway, not the other way around like many books/instructors make it sound!

Click here to view a video of one of Rick's college students, Curtis from Rancho Cucamonga.

"I've fought a slice from day one and tried everything to get rid of it - from equipment to lessons. It got so bad that I stopped practicing full swing shots and only worked on my short game. I'm 5'10" and my 7-iron would only go about 125 yards. There are few things worst than pulling a 7-iron after watching your buddies use a pitching wedge. It was frustrating. I was looking around my home course's website and saw a partners promotion that was reasonable; that's how I got in contact with Rick. I was skeptical, I had worked with 2 instructors before and never got any long term results. I was hoping a Certified Master PGA professional would be different and I was right. Rick taught me to swing within myself, communicating how the proper swing should feel like. It was completely different than anything I had done before but felt more natural. The results were sudden, after 2 lessons with Rick, my distance started to improve with less effort. My ball trajectory was lower and straighter. I started hitting foam balls off a mat from the back of my garage into my neighbor's lawn across the street... with a pitching wedge. I couldn't believe I could clear the garage door from that far back. After a few more lessons, the distances became more consistant, my misses became less tragic and my scores plummeted. I went from a mid 90's shooter to a low 80's shooter, my 7-iron is going 170 yards and my swing is more reliable under pressure. The best part about it is the feeling is still there after almost a year - gone is the anxious hunting to find the 'key' that seemed to be different for every round. I still see Rick every few months for a tune-up, its the best thing I've done for my game."-- Herb A. Lake Forest, CA

Ben Smith (on right) with student & Dodger great Tommy Davis

Ben Smith - Head Golf Professional

Ben has been the Head Golf professional since 2000 and has been teaching for over 16 years, several of his younger students have earned valuable golf scholarships at Division I colleges. Ben's warm and outgoing personality helps the student relax and creates a fun and upbeat learning environment which makes the learning process fun, this game is hard enough already!

This is a complete instructional package with 2 sessions on the golf course for only $275.

One Plane Swing - The #1 Easiest & Most Accurate Swing in the Game!

Sierra Lakes has one of the finest and most experienced certified One Plane Golf instructors in the country, Ben Smith. The One Plane swing is the most direct way to strike a golf ball with a club because it allows you to truly swing on a Single Plane. This method of bal striking is used by current U.S. Amateur Champ & NCAA Champ Bryson DeChambeau and by the late great Moe Norman, a Canadian Hall of Fame member who was touted by his peers as being "The World's Greatest Ball Striker". If GOLF is frustrating you then the One Plane swing could be the cure, email Ben Smith and schedule a session today. Ben has been the Head Golf professional since 2000 and has been teaching for over 18 years, several of his younger students have played on College Golf teams.

Junior Golf - Eric Yoo

Junior Golf Classes are available from Eric Yoo on weekend mornings for kids ages 5-10. They are taught the fundamentals of the swing, chipping, putting, and proper golf etiquette.

Eric was a nationally ranked junior golfer, played college golf, and has a very good touch with kids.

Click here to request more information on lessons at Sierra Lakes or call us today at (909) 350-2500.

Our head instructor, Rick Danruther, is one of only a handful of Certified Master PGA Professionals in the United States and has been teaching in the Inland Empire since 1989, a PGA of America Quarter Century Club member, and Assistant Golf Coach at Rancho High School. “I try to keep the instruction simple and effective,” says Rick Danruther. “I take